Smeltergeist (Smell-ter-guyst)

Generally taking on a ruined appearance of the species' member that died to create it, the Smeltergeist will take on a semi-fluid, ephemeral skeletal-like form consisting of molten metal or other similar substance, and it will generally be dressed in a local industrial uniform.   It is often noted that the Smeltergeist will seem to struggle to move because of this mish-mash of liquid and solid that makes up their form, their every step appearing to be an immense effort. However, to those with a discerning eye, this struggle does not seem to diminish the Smeltergeist's ability to traverse their industrial space.

While Smeltergeists cannot create more of their own kind, they have been known to develop lesser undead from those they destroy, who then act as puppets within the spirit's industrial haunt. This is because the Smeltergeist is a combination of many souls gathered together due to the same tragedy. As living beings die within the Smeltergeist's haunt, souls from the Smeltergeist will then run off to possess the bodies left behind, almost like a guiding string that connects back to the Smeltergeist. These lesser undead are then driven to perform simple actions that the possessing soul may have performed within the industrial space, such as flipping levers, stacking boxes, and inspecting products.

As Smeltergeists are a form of undead tied to the location of their death, they are inevitably tied to it to a near-unseparable degree. While this means that the spirit cannot leave the grounds of its creation, it does possess great power to manipulate the space within its industrial center. This can include possessing industrial machinery that are on the location, creating "accidents" to wound or kill intruders, and generating intense waves of heat within its domain. All the while, these incidents are accompanied by distorted voices drowning in static.

Due to the nature of its undeath being from natural causes, the Smeltergeist requires sustenance in the form of consuming the life force from living creatures in order to continue existing. Otherwise, its threads may be severed, and it will fall into its final peace. However, the longer it goes without sustenance, the greater its sphere of influence grows as it begins to become desperate to sate its hunger. This can result in entire swaths of industrial zones becoming inaccessible as it searches for its next meal. However, it does seem to be restricted by the nature of the space and, as such, it cannot filter into spaces its former culture may have deemed as being nonindustrial. Popular theories as to why this may be include the thought that it is not so much zoning laws that define its space as it is the thrum of industry itself revivifying it to a degree that it can cause harm.

Driven by hunger and the many gnashing voices within its spiritual coalescence, the Smeltergeist will most often take on the role of a hunter. Not only to satisfy its need for existence but to also ease the many voices within itself by allowing them to inherit the bodies of the dead that it creates. As such, when tracking living creatures, the Smeltergeist will often seek to weaken them first with constructed accidents, siphoning of their lifeforce, and forcing them to become disoriented. Once their prey has been sufficiently weakened, the Smeltergeist will manifest to perform the final kill by cooking them alive with its molten presence as it seeks to touch them.

Despite the confusion caused by the many souls that make up its existence, the Smeltergeist is an intelligent hunter that can use knowledge of its industrial surroundings to effectively lay traps and throw intruders into a state of disabling panic. However, this comes at the cost that the Smeltergeist may not be as proficient in identifying small details, or that its confusion can be increased if the right words or activities are performed on it.

The perception of the Smeltergeist is two-fold. Within the industrial area in which they are created, they have an innate sense when a member of the living enters their space. However, lost as they are within the tragedy of their creation, they do not know exactly where the intruder may be and instead will begin a form of sensory exploration to find them. This includes using possessed equipment, such as video cameras, to see the living, as well as consuming portions of their space with an overwhelming aura of growing fear in the hope of inspiring panic.   Once a living creature has been located, the ghost will begin to haunt them using their distorted senses of the species they were in life, which may involve more direct visual manifestations meant to harm the living as well as indirect incorporeal meetings where the creature will siphon life and bravery from their prey.